Chisel at the Barriers That Surround Us
by aqaws321
Summary: Episode tag to 1x09 "Chisel." Everything from angst to hurt/comfort to humor. Written in the same style as "A Collection of Angst." Chapter 1: Jack and MacGyver have a talk about best friends and brothers. Chapter 2: The side effects of the explosion were never shown in the episode. What, exactly, happened to MacGyver and Jack? *Now with Chapter 3*
1. Chapter 1

**Prompt from YesteryearsGirl. Jack seemed a bit hurt when MacGyver said that Bozer was his best friend, but we were never shown a reconciliation. She wanted a fix-it fic. I hope I provided that.**

* * *

MacGyver found Jack sitting on a chair in an empty room of the Phoenix Foundation's main building. The man had drifted into an almost-doze, his breathing peaceful and regular. MacGyver hovered in the doorway, unsure of whether or not to disturb the older man. Just as he was about to turn and leave, Jack cracked an eyelid and said, "I thought I felt you lurking. Come on in, buddy."

MacGyver hesitantly made his way into the room and, being careful of jostling his hurt ribs, sat down in a seat where he could easily avoid Jack's steady gaze. The man was undeterred, however, and said, "Something bothering you?"

MacGyver hurried to shake his head. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Jack rolling his eyes in exasperation. "That wasn't exactly a question, buddy. I can tell something's bothering you. Now, are you gonna tell me what it is now, or are we gonna have to sit here for another thirty minutes before you decide to spit it out?"

The blond felt a reluctant smile pulling at his lips. He sat back in his chair, resting his ankle on top of his knee, and picked at a loose thread on his jeans. "Well, I was just thinking about what happened in the embassy."

Jack grinned. "You're gonna have to elaborate a bit more. A lot happened at the embassy."

MacGyver flushed, his gaze fixed resolutely to the ground. "I meant when I said that Bozer was my best friend."

Jack made a small o with his mouth as he realized what MacGyver was talking about. He began to reply but was cut off as MacGyver forced out the next few sentences. "Well, I just wanted to say that no, I don't consider you my best friend. At least, not in the same way that Bozer is. He's that guy that I've known forever, and get along great with, and yeah, we've fought, but we've always made up afterward. But you're not like that. You're the guy that's-"

The blond stopped for a moment, trying to articulate his thoughts. Jack wisely kept silent, knowing that it was better to let the blond think out his sentences before he tried to say them. Finally, the kid continued. "You're the guy that always looks out for me. The person that I'm always gonna come to if I have a problem. You're the guy that annoys me half the time, but not in an I-want-to-punch-you way, more of an I'm-so-exasperated-by-you-but-I-put-up-with-you way. You're the one person that I know I can always rely on. I guess what I'm trying to say is that. Well. I guess I think of you as an older brother."

Jack sat there for a moment, a little stunned. While he had come to consider MacGyver his younger brother, he hadn't realized that the other man felt the same bond of brotherhood. MacGyver, however, must've interpreted the older man's silence for disapproval, as he scrambled to get out his next few words. "I mean, if you don't feel the same way, it's completely understandable. I know-"

MacGyver was cut off as Jack drew him into a quick hug. "Shut up, kid. Of course I feel the same way. You're like my little brother. A really annoying, man-I-can't-stand-him little brother, but still. A little brother."

Jack drew back a bit and found his friend smiling up at him. "Feel better?"

MacGyver nodded and ducked his head, his smile still fixed firmly in place. Jack ruffled the younger man's hair, and they walked toward the room with rest of their team together.


	2. Chapter 2

**Written because, let's be honest, that explosion had to have had some side effects.**

 **I'm not too happy with the ending, but let me knwo what ya'll think. Reviews are treasured.**

* * *

They were on the plane ride home when it happened.

Both Jack and MacGyver were talking to Riley when MacGyver's eyes suddenly rolled up into his head and he collapsed. Riley stared at his limp body in shock; Jack barely reacted fast enough to catch him before he hit the ground. The older man set him in an empty seat. Jack was just straightening up when he accidentally hit his back on the headrest of the seat in front of MacGyver. The man let out a breathy groan of pain, his eyes rolling up in his head before he too collapsed.

Riley couldn't prevent him from falling forward onto MacGyver. Luckily two of the marines were sitting nearby, and had stood up when MacGyver had collapsed. They quickly approached Riley and helped her to lift the weight of Jack from the blond. Together they gently set Jack in the seat next to MacGyver while Riley hurried towards the cockpit. She stuck her head through the door, saying, "We need to get back to HQ ASAP."

The pilot nodded in acknowledgment. Riley withdrew her head and walked back towards her friends, her mind consumed with worry for the two men. When she arrived back at their seats, she was greeted with the sight of the marines pulling the two unconscious men's shirts off their torsos. She opened her mouth to ask why they were doing that but sucked in a breath of air in shock when she saw her friends' backs. They were both covered with bruises, along with a few minor burns. The older marine looked up at her, saying as she approached, "We noticed they were uncomfortable while resting on their backs. Turns out that explosion they set off happened a bit too near them for comfort."

Riley rubbed at her temple, a headache beginning to grow begin her eyes. "How did they keep going?"

The younger marine answered this, shrugging. "Adrenaline is a powerful painkiller."

Riley sighed. That made sense.

* * *

They reached the Phoenix Foundation's HQ without further trouble. Jack and MacGyver had woken up a few more times, but each time had passed out again rather quickly, as the pain from their injuries had overwhelmed them.

There was a team of doctors waiting by the landing pad, as well as two gurneys. The men were transported to the gurneys, laid on their stomachs, and rushed off. Riley watched them go, clutching her computer in worry. She heard the click of heels behind her and turned to see Patricia walk up to her. The taller woman rested a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "They'll be fine. I've seen both of them come back from a mission in worse shape before; don't worry."

Riley felt some of the worry that was gnawing at her dissipate and allowed herself to be lead inside by the older woman. She was quickly debriefed, and then both women left to sit vigil at the bedsides of their friends.

* * *

MacGyver woke to pain in his ribs and on the skin of his back. He twitched, groaning slightly when the movement aggravated the skin on his back, but was soothed by a hand resting on his hair. He heard the familiar voice of Riley say, "It's okay, Mac."

Her comforting voice was drowned out, however, by Jack's deeper timbre."Finally up, huh, Mac?"

MacGyver groaned again. "What happened?"

This time it was Thornton's voice that spoke. "The two of you cracked your ribs and suffered minor burns on your backs. You broke one rib as well, while Jack only cracked his."

Jack laughed painfully. "Told you- I'd race you. Looks like I won, huh?"

MacGyver groaned, keeping his eyes shut. "Ugh."

Jack laughed again but stopped with a painful wheezing noise. There was a slight creak as the door opened and a doctor entered. "I see the patients are awake. How are they feeling?"

MacGyver finally cracked open an eye to take in his surroundings. He was in a typical hospital room, with Riley sitting next to his bed and Thornton next to Jack's. The doctor was standing over him. MacGyver, feeling strangely light, mumbled, "Hr'ts."

The doctor nodded. "Unsurprising. I'm going to just look at one thing- Ah, here we go."

The blond felt a cool rushing in his veins. He smiled faintly as his eyes slid shut, knowing that he would be taken care of.


	3. Chapter 3

**Written for only-some-loser, who wanted something touching on the fact that MacGyver picked up a fricking live grenade and threw it out a window, and also something that touched on how shaken he looked afterwards. Sorry it's so short, luv.**

* * *

MacGyver heard a crashing sound, then stared in shock at the grenade that had just crashed through the window. It lay there, seemingly harmless, but in reality only a few seconds away from decimating the room.

MacGyver didn't hesitate. He dove for the grenade, holding it as if it were a baseball, and chucked it out the window as hard as he could.

He turned from the window and locked eyes with Jack. The older man was staring at him with a slightly stunned look on his face. The blond looked down at his hands, somewhat surprised to find them shaking. He ignored it, though, and moved on.

There was no time to waste thinking about things that were in the past. Time enough for that later, when they were safe and, you know, alive.

* * *

MacGyver sat on the steps of his porch, facing the fire pit with his back to the house. He listened to the sounds of Riley and Bozer talking inside, and was somewhat surprised to hear the creak of the back door as Jack walked out onto the porch.

MacGyver glanced up at his friend. "What're you doing out here?"

Jack let out a quiet groan as he sat next to the blond. "Came lookin' for you, buddy."

MacGyver smiled. The two men sat in companionable silence for a few minutes before Jack spoke. "I keep thinking about what you did."

MacGyver turned to face his friend. "Oh?"

Jack smiled, leaning back. "Yup. Still can't believe it happened."

MacGyver felt a small smile play around his lips. "You're gonna have to tell me what you're talking about."

Jack took a sip of his beer. "I'm talking about that grenade, of course."

MacGyver shrugged, ducking his head down and bringing his shoulders up to his ears. "I don't know."

Jack shoved him lightly. "You don't know? Dude, that was awesome!"

MacGyver lifted a hand to his head, awkwardly scratching his fingers through his hair. "Yeah, maybe if I had actually thought about it. I just saw the grenade and reacted."

Jack's grin faded a bit. "Ah, I see where this is going. Kid, even if you didn't think at that precise moment, it was years of you making the hard decision that drove you to pick up that grenade and throw it."

MacGyver shrugged again. Jack rolled his eyes, throwing an arm around his younger companion. "Look, kid. In every act of bravery, a little bit of something else is rooted in there as well. That something else is the decisions you've made in your life. If you've gone through life taking the easy way out nine out of ten times, chances are, you're not gonna make the brave or right or whatever choice when the time comes. But if you've spent your life doing things the hard way- the right way- then you'll make the right and brave decision. You get what I'm saying?"

MacGyver ducked his head, an embarrassed flush coloring his neck and face. "Yeah."

Jack grinned, using the arm he had on the kid's shoulder to draw him into a quick side hug. "Then c'mon, let's go inside and eat before Bozer complains that we don't appreciate him enough."

Jack gave his friend a hand up and the two of them walked back into the house side by side.


End file.
